Best Value U.S. Colleges
CollegeSimply ranks 1045 four-year colleges by value: academic quality from our Best Colleges ranking weighed against the average net price students actually pay. Low sticker price alone does not mean good value. These schools deliver strong outcomes relative to what families pay after financial aid.
Princeton University leads our 2027 value rankings with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $15,313. The top value public university is University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Also high value: California Institute of Technology, Williams College and Harvard University.
Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the full list below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Filter by state or sort by cost to find affordable schools worth applying to.
University of Virginia Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Charlottesville, VA
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| 0 reviews
UVA is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate commerce, government, and architecture. The historic campus in Charlottesville centers on Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village.
- SAT Range 1410-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Acceptance Rate 17%
- Net Price $18,427
University of California San Diego
- Public 4 Year
- La Jolla, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC San Diego is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate biological sciences, engineering, and oceanography. The coastal La Jolla campus sits on bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
- SAT Range 1270-1480
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.82
- Acceptance Rate 27%
- Net Price $14,047
Emory University
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
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4.8 | 5 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Emory is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and the biological sciences. The wooded campus sits in Atlanta's Druid Hills neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1470-1550
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 11%
- Net Price $27,303
University of Notre Dame
- Private 4 Year
- Notre Dame, IN
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4.1 | 7 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Notre Dame is a highly selective private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and architecture. The residential campus near South Bend is centered on the Golden Dome and Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
- SAT Range 1455-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
- Acceptance Rate 11%
- Net Price $29,300
Barnard College
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 4 application deadline
Barnard is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate English, political science, and psychology. The urban Morningside Heights campus sits beside Columbia University, where students can cross-register for courses.
- SAT Range 1470-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Acceptance Rate 9%
- Net Price $26,407
Davidson College
- Private 4 Year
- Davidson, NC
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4.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 7 application deadline
Davidson is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and the sciences. An honor code shapes unproctored exams and student self-governance on the residential campus near Charlotte.
- SAT Range 1400-1530
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 13%
- Net Price $27,720
Boston University
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
3.4 | 11 reviews
- Jan 4 application deadline
Boston University is a private university known for undergraduate communications, business, and international relations. The urban campus stretches along Commonwealth Avenue beside the Charles River.
- SAT Range 1420-1530
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 11%
- Net Price $24,420
Carleton College
- Private 4 Year
- Northfield, MN
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Carleton is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate natural sciences, economics, and political science. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Northfield.
- SAT Range 1450-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.9
- Acceptance Rate 20%
- Net Price $28,047
Colgate University
- Private 4 Year
- Hamilton, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Colgate is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and the sciences. The hillside campus overlooks the small college town of Hamilton in upstate New York.
- SAT Range 1430-1540
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 14%
- Net Price $28,736
Hamilton College
- Private 4 Year
- Clinton, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 5 application deadline
Hamilton is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate writing, economics, and government. The hilltop campus sits in the small village of Clinton in upstate New York.
- SAT Range 1450-1550
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 14%
- Net Price $28,719
Wartburg College
- Private 4 Year
- Waverly, IA
-
| 0 reviews
Wartburg is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music, education, and biology. Most students live on the residential campus in the small Iowa town of Waverly, with long ties to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
- SAT Range 930-1200
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $24,031
Smith College
- Private 4 Year
- Northampton, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Smith is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering, government, and the arts. Students live on a historic campus in Northampton and can cross-register through the Five College Consortium.
- SAT Range 1420-1540
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 21%
- Net Price $27,305
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Socorro, NM
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
New Mexico Tech is a small public technological university known for undergraduate engineering, earth sciences, and physics. The campus is in the small town of Socorro in central New Mexico.
- SAT Range 1080-1310
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $11,551
Vassar College
- Private 4 Year
- Poughkeepsie, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Vassar is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate English, art history, and the sciences. Most students live on the historic residential campus in New York's Hudson Valley.
- SAT Range 1450-1550
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 19%
- Net Price $29,981
University of California Davis
- Public 4 Year
- Davis, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Davis is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, environmental science, and biological sciences. The campus sits in the bike-friendly college town of Davis.
- SAT Range 1160-1400
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 42%
- Net Price $17,270
University of California Irvine
- Public 4 Year
- Irvine, CA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Irvine is a large public university known for undergraduate computer science, biological sciences, and engineering. The suburban campus centers on Aldrich Park in the planned city of Irvine.
- SAT Range 1230-1430
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 29%
- Net Price $15,889
University of Richmond
- Private 4 Year
- University of Richmond, VA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
University of Richmond is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business and leadership studies. The suburban Collegiate Gothic campus sits in Richmond's West End.
- SAT Range 1410-1530
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 22%
- Net Price $30,037
University of Wisconsin Madison
- Public 4 Year
- Madison, WI
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Wisconsin is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and the biological sciences. The lakeside campus occupies an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona in a classic college town.
- SAT Range 1380-1520
- Avg GPA 3.88
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $14,235